The move from license to cloud has created a tech skills shortage...

The Morning Download: Field Wide Open in Search for Tech Talent

Good day, CIOs. CIO Journal Columnist Gary J. Beach sees a silver lining in the struggle by traditional learning institutions to meet the current IT skills shortage. Increasingly, companies are identifying alternative talent pipelines, including the field of online credentialers.

An option: Digital merit badges. "A novel approach to learning called digital badges is beginning to garner attention among hiring managers," he writes. Here, an individual enrolls in an online course and upon completion is awarded a digital badge that the recipient can embed on professional networking sites.

There are shortcomings. "Most notably, the lack of industry standards for course quality or the amount of personal commitment a person must make to earn a digital badge," he writes.

But consider the alternative. According to according to a recent IDC report, the demand for AI, cyber and other skills will exceed the supply of workers, creating a shortage of 900,000 jobs. To meet that shortfall, Mr. Beach writes, colleges would need to boost STEM degree production to 1.2 million diplomas, an increase of 415 percent.